


My Life as a Gorgon w/ a Royal Egyptian Heritage

by BleedingHeart911



Category: Monster High
Genre: Gen, Next Generation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-01-03 04:25:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1065738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BleedingHeart911/pseuds/BleedingHeart911
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monster High has all kinds of students from immortals who've been enrolled there for longer than centuries, to fresh young mutants barely explainable.<br/>The focus is on one little ghoul with inherited powers few can rival; Cali Gorgon-De Nile. She is her mother's child, whether she likes it or not, and that leads to expectations from everyone: especially herself. Cali wants to be more than her mother's legacy but can't deny her own impulses which borderline Diva when she's not careful. She loves her friends, and family at times, and also loves pushing buttons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Clawdeen had kept in touch with as many of her high school friends as she could.

She was present during Lagoona& Gil’s first hatching- Ghoulia’s graduation from Undead-Med School, and gave Abbey a ride to the airport when she ‘had to go to work’. (Abbey and Heath have secret jobs, some suspect as spies- still not an official couple).

Frankie went all over the less-than-urban world, helping bridge monsters together in friendship, right after she ‘took a break’ from Stanfear.

Draculaura was still at Monster High, making new friends and enjoying her immortality as a teenager.

Jinafire got into designing weapons and Skelita is designing costumes on Clawedway.

The friend Clawdeen lost, missed, got back in touch with through her brother’s stainless-steal friendship with Deuce was Cleo.

The two ghouls dove into careers faster than anyone else. They mutually shifted each other’s friendship around- out of mind, not out of heart.

When reunited, Cleo was right in her pointy ear.

"Dear Ra! She got my measurements wrong!" Cleo screeched.

Clawdeen knew her assistant was careful with every dot of detail. She also knew Cleo De Nile would never grow out of commanding people.

The two ghouls were in Clawdeen’s studio; as a bit of fun, they tried on some ‘unreleased’ designs. Not the real dresses for the models, exact imitations to be worn for an hour or two.

Cleo was in room with six full-body mirrors, tugging to close the back of her dress.

"Edna doesn’t get anything wrong." Clawdeen assured her friend.

The werewolf felt familiar annoyance; Cleo had an impressive knowledge/ appreciation of historical and modern fashion but she could still be a brat.

"Well she did this time! It won’t close! I have been the same waist-size since I was fifteen! I’m not a skeleton but this is NOT enough!" The Mummy complained.

Knowing Edna was too good to insult with a double-check, Clawdeen took the measuring tape from around her neck and walked up to wrap it around the fuming Cleo.

With a smirk, Clawdeen put a claw to the lines her tape fell on. “Numbers don’t lie, Cleo.”

The Mummy could not believe it. She took the tape out of Clawdeen’s furry fingers to see for herself. It was the widest she’s ever seen herself.

"Oh my Ra…" Cleo whispered, then proclaimed, "Deuce made me fat!!"

Clawdeen rolled her bright yellow eyes- “Yeah, he force fed you into gaining two whole pounds.”

Cleo began ripping off the dress she hated. “Every other night he asks ‘try this carb’, ‘try that carb’, and damn him if they aren’t good! AH! This is unbelievable! You’d think constantly having sex would burn the calories but instead I just got me more hungry! God, I’ve been craving the most ridiculous things lately and it’s his fault!”

With her preference of work, and ghouls, over mensters, Clawdeen never had to worry about ‘being late’. However, she had enough sisters to see things as they changed and grew and turned into puppies.

"Oh my ghoul." Clawdeen put a paw to her lips.

"Oh Ra, I look worse without the layers, don’t I? I’ll have to buy drapes to cover my hugeness." Cleo said in self-pity.

"No, Cleo, you’re going to be a Mummy." (Cleo raised an eyebrow) "Like a daddy, but a Mummy!" Clawdeen grew very excited.

The she-wolf watched her friend’s blue eyes widen in understanding. Cleo felt the hug from Clawdeen but she didn’t care.

The shriek that came from the golden-wrapped ghoul broke all the mirrors in the 76-story building.

 

Sitting on the stool near the kitchen counter Cleo remembered buying Deuce baking tools to make him happy. Since finding out he put a bun in her oven, she wanted to burn their shared home down.

She heard the door closed and waited for her boyfriend to enter the kitchen.

"Cleo, I can’t believe I’m the last to know. I wish we had planned better but Mother Nature is just to fast for mere monsters to keep up with. But I say let's do this even if it'll lad to permeant damage. So I booked us tickets this morning and we’ll be in the Himalayas in nine hours!" Deuce told her as he held up her skis and his snowboard.

"Biggest avalanche of the century! It started a week ago but the news says it’s still going! If we survive, we go bikini shopping while we’re near the Parasitic." The snakes on his head were wickedly excited.

Cleo pouted then flatly told him- “I’m pregnant.”

"Good one, babe. That’s the only thing that would stop this once-in-a-life-time trip dead in it’s tracks!" The Gorgon told her, hyped for adventure before he hit thirty.

In her perfectly manicured teal fingers was a picture of an embryo hooked onto a uterus wall.

Through his shades, Deuce began to see that she was serious.

"Is that real? I mean, doctors aren’t perfect, they can get stuff mixed up and-"

"Ghoulia gave me the test." Cleo bluntly told him then watched the Gorgon drop their sporting equipment.

Hunched over, Deuce walked towards the counter to hold his girlfriend’s hands. Cleo felt him tremble but watched his lip stay stiff.

"What do we do now?" He asked, his serpents twirling in nervousness.

"That depends on how you answer my two questions." Cleo gently told her waiting boyfriend.

"Do you think I’d make a good mother?" Her bright blue eyes begged for honesty.

"Yeah, definitely, I can’t think of anyone better who can tell people what to do- my own mother included." Said the gorgon bracing the worst.

"Second and final; are you ready to become the monster that is my father?" Cleo rubbed his funny square thumbs.

Deuce hung his head because he couldn’t be strong and honest with her at the same time then. “No, I’m really not, I like my soul where it is.”

His ex-princess gave a tiny smile. “Okay, then I see no reason to let this little mistake get worse.”

"You mean that?" He didn’t want to let on how relieved he was yet.

"Yes, from the absolute bottom of my heart and soul, I do mean that." The mummy smiled wider.

The Gorgon raised his shoulders. “Oh thank Zeus! You scared me for a minute! I was beginning to imagine carpools and foam-corners!”

"I was imagining gaining maybe forty pounds! Can you see me shopping for Moo-moos?" Cleo began laughing at the hideousness she planned to avoid.

"No, I can’t, Cleo you are so gorgeous just the way you are-"

"Oh stop," which really meant keep going.

"I like us exactly how we are now, no one extra." Deuce leaned over to hug his ghoul, who was very happy to have a man who would support her in anything.

..

 

Motorcycles were dangerous and juvenile, especially when tricked out by vampires. Deuce’s bike, First Bloody, was heading towards the clinic Delete Button. Even a bike that could go along the sides of buildings had traffic of the air.

Traffic was a logical reason to be held back. The illogical truth was Cleo saw a sign that said ‘Shoe Sale’ in the trendy neighborhood near the Clinic she and Deuce were heading to.

"Five pairs and then we’re done." She promised as he parked to the side.

The bike stuck horizontally to the building’s side. Deuce jumped off first then helped Cleo off. She barely felt any wider, but for some reason felt heavier.

The Gorgon decided not to dwell on little feelings like that because seeing Cleo step away on five-inch heels to waste money on herself made her look happy. At the end of the day, that was what really mattered.

In the store, Cleo had no second thoughts about going to the clinic. She promised herself she’s be more careful in the future because she’d just gotten back together with her old sweetheart. The Mummy wanted to make sure they still fit together for sure before she chained him down with devoting his life to one person forever, plus a child.

The diamond-trimmed ghoul liked her career, liked her freedom traveling and not having to explain herself to anyone who hadn’t already spent years loving her. She did not have any desire to become a Mummy Mother.

And then she saw the baby shoes. They were tiny stilettos, bright yellow with soft-blue bows made from ribbons.

The six-thousand (or so)year old Mummy’s heart swelled and she felt her hand touch her belt.

Deuce was reading the weather reports in Mongolia when Cleo dropped the shoes on his phone screen.

He looked up to see her bawled fists cover her mouth. Her face was extremely serious as she said,

"I’m buying these, Deuce." Before Deuce could think of a response she said, "I’m buying these whether you want me to or not."

"Cleo. I just want us to stay cool and happy and not hate each other." Deuce resisted the urge to hug her shaking body.

"I hate you half the time already, because I love you more than anyone else in history." The ghoul eyeing the line for the cash-register told her scaly man.

"Swear to Ra?" The monster with the hissing green snakes asked.

The Mummy didn’t enjoy being poked. “Fine, yes, I’m not saying it again. Now stone those skinny mules so I can get our baby her first shoes!”

…

“I am pregnant!” Cleo de Nile yelled across her family’s table.

It was an intimate dinner between her father, sister and boyfriend. The topic of conversation was how six years after high school gravuation Cleo would get back together with Deuce- and right after her husband of three years had passed away with a “Do Not Reincarnate” policy.

Nefera, her sister, found it hilariously scandalous. Ramese, her father, was far from pleased and his weak cover of passive aggressive- almost sarcastic- attempt at acceptance had fallen away in less than two hours.

Deuce happily returned the sarcasm, especially during that shots at his restaurant. He was also the genius who thought he and Cleo should make peace with these monsters. After the Mummy Princess relinquished her crown to marry her now deceased husband, Cleo hadn’t spoken to her family.

She made her own wealth and connections; Chester (the hubby) helped her climb as the CEQ (Chief Executive Queen) of the Mattered Toy Co Cleo was proud of her independence and self-achieved title. It seemed unnecessary to talk to her family, especially after they snubbed Chester’s funeral. But fate worked well because Deuce catered the event; the two monsters reconnected a respectful year post-Chester’s burial.

The second year had barely started before Cleo’s discovery of a little Gorgon growing inside of her.

If Deuce, and her closest ghoulfriends, hadn’t encouraged her, Cleo would have never planned to yell at her father ever again.

Nefera stopped smiling cattishly to say, “Gross.”

The Gorgon resisted the urge to stone her because his concern was more towards the ex-pharaoh’s reaction.

Ramese kept his cool indifference- freakishly un-similar to his daughters.

“Are you certain, my child?” he asked nonchalantly.

Cleo was standing to the right side of her father’s table. She walked over to Deuce’s chair, which was at least ten feet down from the Mummies. 

“I’ve gained exactly eleven pounds in four months, my temper is close to homicidal, and I’ve never hated Deuce at any time more in my unlife.”

The sunglass wearing man with snakes for hair raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Cleo put a hand on his shoulder and then said,

“And I plan to spend the rest of my afterlife with him and our beautiful bastard.”

Deuce smiled at his iron-fisted girlfriend.

“I have my own family now, Daddy, so anything cruel or supercilious you have to say, you may write it on my-”

Ramese raised a wrapped hand, “May I say one thing before you leave my home forever?”

Cleo bite her tongue but heard patient hisses from Deuce. They, and an excited Nefera, waited.

The old monster had his servants pull back his chair so he could stand, with the help of his cane.

“This is greatest news I’ve ever heard.” The Mummy told his family+ Deuce, who were shocked beyond belief.

“Seriously?” Nefera and Deuce asked simultaneously.

“The most prominent fear of my afterlife was that the De Nile line would wither away into ancient history. Never, in my most desperate moments would I have imagined choosing that (he points to Deuce) as the father of my grandchildren, but as I stand he before you that is my most minuscule concern because I am elated to have heard this incredible information.”

Choosing indifference over hatred, Deuce felt a battle won. Cleo was close to tears but refused to let her hormones control her.

Ignoring the jealousy in her stomach, Nefera crossed her arms and said, “Yeah, this is great. One question though; will the kid be hatched before or after pushed through little sister’s المهبل?”

Seven daggers were held up against Nefera’ throat in less than a minute.

“Nefera, we do not scorn Isis’s gifts under this roof. Go to your room.” Ramese demanded, Nefera huffed but walked out with her nose in the air- and the seven guards circling her all the way to her room.

“Best dinner I’ve ever had here.” Deuce whispered, holding onto Cleo’s hand.

The Mummy heard him but her attention went to her father.

“Daddy I am truly and wholly (nausea strikes)…joining to finish that sentence when I return.” Cleo said before covering her mouth and running toward a servant with a bucket.

The two creatures were alone. Deuce braced himself for whatever may come out of Ramese’s eternally wrapped mouth.

“Thank you,” Deuce told him, “For supporting her this time.”

Ramese sat down and told the Gorgon, “You will never be a worthy suitor to my daughter.”

“Yes, sir, I know. But I’ve already proven too difficult to assassinate.” Deuce reminded the powerful old monster. 

“I’ve been told that fourteen times before, boy.” Ramese raised a golden goblet.

No one saw him alter his bandages or drink stain them. Deuce wondered if it was for show; whether the six-thousand-year-old monster still had thirsts to quench or not. 

The former Pharaoh put his goblet on a servant’s tray. “It was not my future heir’s choice to be born as they will be, so I shall forgive them of that. Also, despite the fact that you are Cleo’s chosen partner, I will do everything in my power to see my grandchildren raised properly.”

Considering this was the only grandfather his kid was going to get, Deuce smiled and said, “That’s exactly what I was hoping for, sir.”


	2. Preggo Cleo still

Medusa’s house

“You said it wouldn’t be everyone we know.” The mummy said as she walked through her boyfriend’s mother’s house.  
The indoor lights were off; she and the Gorgon followed the lanterns and noise coming from the back yard. 

“It’s not; it’s just my family.” Deuce responded as he gently pulled Cleo out of the path of a mail-troll statue. 

It was twilight so the furniture and statues (usually kept in the garden but rearranged for the guests) could still be seen. Cleo had become absent minded around the same time she gained a noticeable fifteen pounds. This transformation made her grow insecure and crankier. The last thing she wanted to do that night was spend time with Deuce’s loud, crude, thin family. However, she had witnessed him spend a dinner with her family, who did not hold back their distain for the Gorgon in his company. Cleo felt a small dinner with his mother and aunts would even them out in the guilt/shame-of-family-party.

Despite herself, the bloated mummy maturely accepted that Medusa had invited a few more monsters to their party. What’s two more future-in-laws to be scared by? Cleo thought.   
Silhouettes of moving heads were visible through Medusa’s glass doors. A collection of at least two hundred monsters had attended Medusa’s party.

Deuce saw Cleo’s glare through his sunglasses. “Don’t give me that look, these are just my first cousins.”

Before the snake-man opened the door, they opened by a snake woman in a bright orange sundress. She had warm-colored snakes stacked on her head in a bun shape smiled and threw her arms up when she found her guests of honor.

“Matia mou! I’m so happy for you! So happy I’m going to forgive you for arriving late!” Medusa said and she squeezed her son’s cheeks. His green snakes did not respond warmly.

“Golly. Thanks, Mom.” Deuce said with enough familiar sarcasm to feel like he was home.

The older monster ignored his tone; she turned at attention to glow on Cleo.

“Cleo! My darling rufiana! You’ve become even more beautiful!” Medusa said as she lovingly rubbed Cleo’s belly.

“Maddy, stop rubbing me like a common pet dragon. We’re here for one waddle around the backyard so I can get my iCoffin back from Deuce.” Cleo explained, growing annoyed when she remembered how Deuce banned her from working when they arrived at the party.

The Gorgon-woman laughed. “Still a nutcracker after all this time! Don’t worry, matia mou, by her fifth pregnancy she’ll be nice again.”

Deuce wanted to say Cleo was never very nice and that was how he liked her, but he knew his mother wasn’t the listening type. In her excitement to receive a grandchild, Medusa was even less willing to listen to others; her main action was to gloat about how wonderful the future Gorgon would be.  
The present Gorgon put an arm around Cleo and whispered into her ear, “Two hours tops.”

In an hour’s time the expecting-mummy was re-introduced to the Gorgon aunts, cousins, their ex-husbands, their new husbands, their children, their dentist and Deuce’s half-brother from his father’s side (because while Deuce hated his father, his brother Argie was a cool dude welcomed by his non-Cyclopes family members).

Monsters the couple was surprised to see were Howleen Wolf, her mother and a few of their family’s newest mothers.

“I didn’t want you to feel alone, Cleo.” Medusa explained and she gestured to Clawdia’s hugely pregnant little sister, Pawleena. 

Cleo did appreciate not being the widest monster there, but she was annoyed with being categorized as a mom instead of a sophisticated princess and soon-to-be-mom.

“I don’t think anyone could feel alone in this little get-together, Maddy.” Cleo said, wishing Deuce hadn’t left her as he talked to Clawd. 

The Wolf family had brought two pregnant werewolves and one pregnant gargoyle (a Wolf by marriage). The three stood near the food table; Cleo thought back to fattened animal sacrifices she witnessed as a child during the First Kingdom.

“You know, Pawleena went to Monster High too- you ghouls should catch up!” The Gorgon woman suggested to the monster she hoped her grandchild would inherit bright-blue eyes from.

“And I have nothing to say to Pawleena; she graduated from Monster High four years after me, also I have a job and as far as I can she doesn’t. Why embarrass the poor pup?” Cleo bragged, she was very proud to have become a CEQ (Corporate   
Executive Queen).

Medusa smiled under her glittery orange sunglasses. “I suppose you’re right. After all, I’ll be raising our baby so I should get to know the other moms in the dayscares.”

Viperine had just arrived and the first thing she did was kiss her aunt Medusa’s cheeks, with her lips and pink snake tongues. Before the make-up artist asked a ‘How are you?’, Cleo interrupted them with,

“Who scooped your brain through your nose?” Cleo demanded.

“So charming, I hope the baby gets some of that.” Maddy noted.

“Medusa, I may be going back to work when thi-she is born, but I’m not putting my child in a basket and shipping her down a river!”

“You can’t bring a child to office meeting and beheadings, Cleo. Trust me I know, I was a career-mom. I know how unfriendly suits are to babies.”

“My building has a royally funded dayscare center that will ensure my baby stays close to me! We’ll both social, functioning and perfectly happy while I sit in power!”

“Cleo, this is my grandchild you’re talking about. He needs to be with his family, surrounded by the monsters he can relate to best.” Medusa said as she held a glass of wine in one hand and touched her shoulder in pride.

The mummy’s high eyebrows rose as she heard a new tone of meanness in Medusa’s voice. “What is that suppose to mean?!”

“You know who he’ll undoubtedly take after.” Medusa stated as two red snakes curled around her finger.

Hearing Clawd talk about becoming Casketball pro was an unsurprising but still exciting event. Deuce could say the same for when he heard his mother and girlfriend begin to argue loudly. As the mensters began to notice other party guests staring in one direction, they followed the gaze to Medusa and Cleo.

“Right on time.” Deuce finished his drink. He then walked to the craziest women he cherished most.

He watched Cleo yell something in ancient Egyptian and then saw her storm off into the house. Seeing Viperine walk after her made Deuce very thankful of his good cousin. To make the trip worth it, he walked up to his mother.

“What the Styx did you say to her?” Deuce asked, unconcerned with the curious crowd surrounding him.

“Just that I would give my grandchild the love Cleo didn’t receive as a child. She somehow took offense to that.” Medusa informed her son.

“Thank you, Mom. Dear Zeus I hope I can return the sentiment; how do you take your poison?” Deuce asked, wishing he could stone her and be done with it all.

“I liked the rum-cake you brought.” Medusa said, hoping if her son did kill her that he’d be craftier than just a bad cake.

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After borrowing Viperine’s phone, Cleo called a cab for herself. She didn’t tell Viperine, or anyone else, where she planned to go. The golden-wrapped ghoul didn’t say goodbye to her boyfriend and wouldn’t speak to him until morning.  
Deuce assumed she headed to a mall for angry shopping; he didn’t objet because he wanted her to blow off steam in the best way she knew how. Also, he wanted to vent himself before seeing her again.

It was dumb luck Jackson Jekyll, MD was in town for a Psychologist conference, in a nearby hotel, that night.

“Coming to me cheers you up?” Jackson asked as he gave Deuce a cup of Hyde juice. It was a toxic tonic Jackson’s other personality invented when he was in Central Ascareacia.

“Talking to someone sane cools my head.” Deuce explained as he messaged his temples.

The snakes weren’t in a Mohawk shape Deuce had as a teenager. He grew out a few more and had them lay side ways in a calm, more refined way. They stood straight up when Deuce was aggravated. 

“Okay, but I’m charging by the hour…. That’s a joke.”

“Dude, I’d pay anyway.” Deuce said, sitting in Jackson’s hotel room chair.

Jackson closed his briefcase and sat on the bed.“ Okay, what do you want to talk about?”

“How getting back together with Cleo screwed both of ours lives.”

With his professional training, Jackson concentrated on asking the straight-forward questions. “When did you start feeling that way about it? You told me two months ago you guys were happy.”

“We were until we added the word ‘family’ into the mix.”

“Well, you did decide to get back together and start a family in the span of fourteen months; some creatures would call that spontaneous-”

“You’re being coy; it’s a stupid, mad thing that just happened on top of my other plans.”

“Such as opening a restaurant in San Franscario?”

“Yeah, ‘a’ restaurant, ‘the’ restaurant; the thing I’ve been working for since day one of culinary school- me and the two monsters I had planned to spend the rest of my life with!”

Deuce was referring to his good friend Rudi, whom he met while attending Le Marsiton in France. After two-and-a-half years of culinary learning, the boys hopped from one apprentice job to the next. It was an unhinged lifestyle but the varieties of kitchens they worked in built skills.  
After their improvised dinner to huantlywood star, Ava Gravestone, the Gorgon and 4.5 ft tall rodent-man were selected to be on a televised cooking challenge. It seemed tacky after studying in four of the best restaurants in Eyrope but they wanted the prize money (and both wanted a chance at a statuesque sasquatch pastry chef from Oscareo).  
They didn’t win the contest but became friends with an eccentric, clumsily, extraordinarily gifted chef named Tsunami Squidberg. She was a grounding force for the duo; Deuce was hardworking, talented and considerate, but flighty, flirtatious and easily distracted. Rudi was creative and narrow-minded at the same time. The blue-haired rodent was clever with culinary tricks but awful with communicating to other monsters above or below him; he didn’t take Deuce seriously as a chef but treasured their friendship and tried to protect him (Gorgon) from his bad habits (playing with bosses, or bosses’ daughters). Tsunami was better at disciplining them both; which they found bizarre since she could barely stay upright on her tentacles.  
However contradictory the three were, they invented wonderful meals together. They moved back to Ascareica, because Tsunami had a friend with a catering service to offer all three work. The trio’s plan was to settle down in one city while working in the ever-mobile catering company, saving and plotting until they found a good location to open their own restaurant. 

This plan had promise of being accomplished in half a decade’s time, until the catering company was called to host a funeral for a wealthy troll family. The widow of the deceased troll heir just happened to be the ghoul Deuce took to Senior Promzillia. 

“I hadn’t seen Cleo in six years, and I was cool with that. Since we broke up I dated other ghouls, loved other ghouls- hell, I almost went on one knee for a very nice android I met in Monte Scarlo. I didn’t because I realized I cared more for her grandmother’s cooking than her.” Deuce’s snakes shivered at the flicker of memory.

Jackson wanted to penetrate the half-truths in Deuce. “So you went to work at her husband’s funeral with no agenda?”

“None except to serve pasta and give my condolences to an old friend.”

“But what really happened?” The good half-normie doctor heard the story from many different angles, but he forgot the Gorgon’s version. 

“I became very glad her husband was dead, buried and signed a Do-Not-Reincarnate policy. We first called it nostalgia, I said I was cool to be just the rebound but I fell for her again. She asked for helping moving out of dead dude’s family mansion. It led to us moving in together; we both worked long hours and neither of us minded cause we were on a copacetic wavelength.”

“Did that include having a baby?”

Deuce hesitated, a hissing sigh came from his mouth before he said, “No and yes. The little ghoul was never part of our plans but I- I can’t un-imagine her coming into our life now. Though I am really sorry to her that she is.”

“What does that mean? You’re stable and, on a far-flung scale, a stable a decent enough monster to become a good father.”

“Yeah, maybe, but the baby-drama is hurting my baby-mummy. Cleo hates what’s happening to her body- I hate seeing her unhappy, I hate taking shots from her dad and her taking shots from my mom, my aunts, her sister, Clawdeen’s sisters…”

“Are you worried you and the baby will become her regrets?”

The green snakes flashed their fangs in defense. “Gods, why don’t you slice off my leg? No, I’m not. Although she doesn’t say it out-loud Cleo is looking foreword to having a kid to mold into the next queen of the world.”

“What about you?” Jackson asked.

“I’m looking foreword to having a poker bluddy and a little ghoul to live out my dream of becoming a bass player in a punk band.”

“Seriously? That’s all you think is going to happen?”

“It’s what I’m hoping for, Jackson.” Deuce said, the tonic was starting to get to him so he felt the courage to weakly admit; “The kid won’t slither when I touch her. Cleo feels it constantly; everyone else who pets her belly feels it happen. The little lizard wiggled for Heath but not yet me!”

“Deuce, I’m sure when she’s out she’ll like you, like most creatures do.”

Deuce sat back in the chair. “Sure. I know it’s juvenile but I just want the mini princess to like me right now so all the bickering, bitching and hate can get a little more manageable.”

“Grow up. Suffering is part of being a parent and that little ghoul is going to break your heart. More than once.” Jekyll said; he knew it was harsh but his friend needed to be reminded not everything would be easy for him.

It took Deuce back to hear Jackson say honestly cruel things. In high school, Jackson had great insight into himself of how he handled prejudice monsters hating his normie side. It still blew the Gorgon away to know a dude that was smart enough to see his cool self with and without the blue skin and face tattoo.

Cleo/Deuce’s apartment

While at Jackson’s hotel, the boys played on the rented game station. Deuce left when he received an S.O.S message from his baby-mummy. Jackson thought the dad-to-be would’ve been more panicked. However as Deuce read the situation Cleo was in he chuckled.

The Gorgon walked past his incredible kitchen, and the other rooms, into his bedroom. Cleo’s closet door was open and the light was on. It was a closet that took up the rest of their building’s floor. Deuce walked past the Summer section, heading into the Fall department. He missed a turn and ended up in Winter section; luckily it was the smallest portion because they left for warm beaches during winters.

There were large stacks of shoeboxes in the Autumn section. There were plastic bags, a sign of freshness. Behind one of the stacks Deuce saw a few boxes toppled over; he then saw Cleo’s mocha-tan feet, nail polish purple and teal.

“Finally! Will you get me out of this?” Cleo asked from the floor. She and her swollen belly were jammed between the sixty or so boxes of new accessories the mummy bought in one night’s trip.

“Oh, this is too rich.” Deuce said as he took out his iCoffin and snapped a few pictures of his girlfriend.

“Deuce! This is not funny! This is humiliating! And I’m un-photogenic now!” Cleo yelled, wishing she didn’t feel like a helpless fat turtle.

“You’re right, this isn’t funny at all.” The snakes shook their tongues as Deuce tried swallowing his laughter.

“Deuce!!!” The mummy pronounced in tone that seared like lava.

The Gorgon walked around the boxes. He bent down and put his hands behind Cleo’s shoulders. It took a little effort, but Deuce pulled her up into a sitting position. 

The mummy was angry with her savior and avoided looking at him. Even when he wrapped his arms around her wrapped chest and put his chin into her neck.

“And for the record, you never don’t look hot in photos; jumbo size is no exception.” Cleo’s baby-daddy told her as his forked tongue went into her ear. 

The CEQ tried pulling his arms off but she was exhausted from pulling her credit cards in and out.

“You can remove my organs for asking this if you want, but you want anything to eat?” Deuce asked, cuddling his cold-blooded body to her warmth.

It annoyed Cleo that she had to apply almost miles of bandages to cover her pregnant belly. She also hated that Deuce cooked well, liked feeding her and didn’t object to her absurd cravings (mice cupcakes in honey-barbeque sauce). The DeNile heir hated that he made her fatter, and hated that Deuce treated her the same as when she was the perfect/thin size.   
And despite all the love in her heart she had for her mini princess, Cleo hated that the mutant took away her view of her shoes.

“Could you first roll me out of here? Or do I need a crane to be lifted out?” Cleo asked; her hate for her reptilian family barely rivaling the adoration she had for them.

Deuce kissed her cheek and put a foot under his body. With efficient strength he pulled his girlfriend off her shining black carpet. Cleo felt her feet touch floor; she tried to stand and wobbled a bit. Deuce caught her by the small of her back and under the right side of her belly.

“Stop being perfect, it’s making me wish you were buried and not to be found.” Cleo told her baby-daddy.

The scaly chef slid his hand from Cleo’s back. It slide around the soft belly, under her designer blouse, to squeeze her swollen mammary gland. She couldn’t resist giving a delighted squeal. The hand then went around her throat- like he was about to strangle her, the mummy’s eyes rolled into the back of her head.

“You’ll always be my favorite spoiled rotten brat, even with the younger competition.” The Gorgon promised, feeling her sharp, manicured nails beginning to break the material on his sleeves.

“I’m too fat to try this again.”

“Ever think I might want twins?”

Cleo smirked, her eyes then popped opened when the little creature inside her slithered on the right side of her body.  
It annoyed her when Deuce stopped holding her throat and his sultry voice went into a whimpy, “I felt her that time.”

He sounded happy- it made Cleo jealous to consider she wouldn’t be his only ghoul forever.

The mummy turned on her heels. She faced him and then pulled his shoulder down, Deuce had to lean over the belly. It worked for Cleo because they were face to face that way.

“I’m not giving you twins.” Cleo said as her hands went up his neck, to the base of his snake’s bodies. “But I’ll let you have me, and that’s better than pretty much everything else on the planet.”

 

3S5DRGTUYHIJOKIU89Y76T5R4E5DFRBHUYJNKPOI8UY7T65RFTGUYHINJ

Okay, this is more Cleuce fluff than Offspring OC right now but I felt like Deuce’s backstory needed to be told too.

Cali will be delivered soon! Just let her grow- in my brain- until I’m ready to put down a full character instead of just fat jokes against Cleo. Even though she’s Cleo De-fucking-Nile forever and always.


	3. The hatching

"You drive a hard bargain but I'm going to have to say no." Deuce said on iCoffin to the television informant. "Yeah, I was the dude in the video eating nachos while volcano-boarding but now is not a good time for me to go on a TV show about stealing dragon eggs and outrunning their mothers through a mine-field maze."

The gorgon's phone is grabbed out of his hand.

"He'll get back to you after he takes his anti-wetblanket meds." Cleo says before hanging up the iCoffin. "Since when do you turn down idiotic death-defying stunts? You love doing those!" The mummy asked her boyfriend.

Deuce tilted his head so that his sunglasses faced the restaurant's ceiling. "Hmm, when exactly? Wow, I can't put my finger on exactly when."

As he leans his arms on the restaurant table, one of Deuce's fingers finds itself on Cleo's stomach. He didn't have to travel far because the 9-month-size belly swelled upwards. The angle was thanks to the pillow's behind Cleo's back.

"Wait, I think I remember now!" Deuce sarcastically told his bloated (and beautiful) girlfriend.

The two were in Deuce& friends' resturant. As far as Deuce knew, the money that bough the resturant (and all it's finishings) was inheritence from his friend/business partner Rudi's dead father. In truth, it was paid as hush-money from Cleo when she bribed his chef-friends to push Deuce into agreeing to letting her keep an apartment near her office building. The plan was for the family to move into a neighborhood close to their friends-with-kids. They would also be in the district for her to join Monster High when their baby became a teenager. Cleo wanted that for her child but also wanted to be a working-mom; she planned to stay in touch via Skull-ype but didn't feel the need to crowd the child. The Gorgon learned his girlfriend did not meet her Pharaoh father until she turned six-years-old.

Cleo pushes away his hand. "We are not letting _this thing_ rob us of our youth! I gave up my VIP (Very Important Princess) front row seat of the spring line! That hurt! I am not letting you feel my regret and shame!"

"Please tell me you're not going to show this much resentment to our kid when she gets here." Deuce asked as the waiter took away Cleo's fourth finished plate.

"I've already signed her up for singing lessons with Operetta, tennis lessons with Howlbert Wolf and Ghoulia's 3rd clone is willing to tutor her in anything else. There's no time in between all of that and my return to the thron- chairwoman position to have leftover resentment." Cleo tells him.

Deuce doubted the last statement entirely but a small part of him was looking forward to being the favorite parent. His girlfriend was smart, exciting and would share ghoul-issues when his little ghoul reached the disgusting age of teenhood; these were things his daughter would like about her mother over her father. The Gorgon looked for all measures of positive connection he could make with his child before he lost her to her dotting grandparents.

The mummy saw the worried look in his brow and changed her tone to something gentlier.

"I know you're going to be the most dedicated daddy on the planet, but before then you need to get crazy fun out of your system." The princess smiles as she hands her boyfriend his phone back.

DDVBRUIN4I3GJ9540I95JKGIJGI5JGU54HYFGB4UNDI3KD3O0JF57YGF57YG85YUGF9IGJN2S34DERFTVGBHUNJMKS5DERFBHUJNMK3DERFBHYUNJMKL,TYU

Video Titled: Calliope Hatshepsut 'Scream Day' De Nile Gorgon. A video by Heath Burns

The screen is Heath's face, he's checking his goatee with is iCoffin's recording video.

"Where did you say Abbey was?" Cleo asked offscreen.

"Somewhere in Scarco-Rica on a mission." Heath said,

"A mission?" His cousin Jackson asked, also offscreen.

Heath's eyes bluge and then he hastily says, "A mission to get new flowers for the shop! Cause we're florist! that our real jobs!"

The fire element laughs like a choked-squeaky-toy.

"She better be back soon, I want her there for the happy day _it_ is finally out." Cleo says, the camera then shows the htree monsters are in Cleo & Deuce's apartment. Jackson and a very round Cleo are sitting on a couch, waiting for Deuce's tv-show to begin.

"So, what are you naming the twins? Cleo junior and Cleo the third ?" Heath asks from offscreen, chewing is heard.

"There's only one royal snake making me balloon like a heffer." The mummy then squeals. "And she seems big enough to know when I'm talking about her."

"Aren't you at 9 months?" Jackson asked, curious of her progress.

The camera goes back to Heath, looking at himself with a full mouth of nachos.

"Ten starting yesterday! I demanded she leave two weeks ago but she's not very good at taking demands." Cleo said, then squealed again.

The young man's hair went past his pointy ears, while looking in the camera heath poked his pinky in the left ear. He wasn't very concerned with the grumbles coming from Cleo and his cousin. The mummy's squeals became screams. Jackson told Heath to stop video tapping and call for an ambulance.

Next scene, Heath's cheek. Heath thought he dialed the phone but turned on the camera again.

"Hello, Dr. Goyle? Why aren't you answering!! Are you Rochelle Goyle? Will that be werid for you to deliever the baby of the woman who stole your crush in high school? OHH! She's breaking my fingers! Help!"

"Heath, calm down!" Jackson says offscreen.

"You're a doctor! Help me! And her, I guess!"

"I'm not that kind of doctor!"

Cleo screams in ancient Egyptain.

"Can you repeat that?" Heath asks.

"I am going to kill Deuce! For leaving me with you idiots!! AHH! And for this thing that's breaking it's shell in my uterus!"

"Hey! We were setting up the watching party and your second baby shower! By Darwin's Beard, why did he go on a game show?!" The bespectacled normie asked.

"This should not be the baby's first sounds!! We need soothing music if we want it less evil like its family !! "

"What is that suppose to mean! " Cleo asks, and then another cracking sound.

Scene changes to Hospital room, Holt in on screen and in scrubs.

"Deuce, since you were on tv today me, Jackson and Heath brought Cleo to the hospital." Says the blue man who seems uncharacteristically calm.

He angles the camera to show Cleo in a maternity bed and Heath sitting in a chair next to her. There is a golden-wrapped hand around a school-bus-yellow wrapped hand and they both stare in the same direction. Both are watching the female gargoyle doctor (not Rochelle) as her syringe peirces the shimmering emerald egg on table under her. There is a female gargoyle nurse (also not Rochelle) holding the eight-pound egg.

The camera zooms into Cleo's face; it's sweaty, make-up running and her eyes concentrate on the egg. The mummy mouths 'So gorgeous'. The camera goes back to the doctors gently slices the fleshy embryo. Heath squeals, and camera rushes back to him tearing up.  
The screen is then the nurse holding a bundle of pre-requested royal-blankets. She walks over to Heath and places the wrapped bundled in his arms.

"Congratulations, she is a healthy ghoul. She already has three little snakes!" The nurse tells the fire-element.

Heath doesn't try to hold back tears. "She even came out with little sunglasses! This is the happiest day ever."

"That's nice, cuz. Give the Mummy a chance now?" Holt suggests, offscreen.

The screen is Heath, holding the baby in the arm of his broken hand, craddling her securely. He brings up his good hand to wiggle in her face.

"No. Keep her warm and away from me until I fix my face!" The mummy demands, also offscreen.

"The nerd inside me wants to know if she's poisionous." Asks Hyde as little black snakes creep from their wrappings to look at Uncle Heath.

"We're having her tested when her first fangs breaks. But don't let her look at me! I don't want her asking who the ugly, fatty was she first came out!"

Title; Fin, welcome to the world !!!!

345RT6GYHJNMCVYJUKIKIOL0FG56Y6Y6HFR4FR4DEDEFTHRF4RTR54T5GH6YH67YFRF5TG6YH7HKJHGFDMNBVCUYTRE654

 

In the St Lilith Maternity Ward

Ghoulia, Hyde and Abbey sit in the waiting room. They see Deuce walk in with a camera-catman behind him.

"How much did I miss?" The gorgon asked his long-time friends.

The little blue zombie was about to tell him gently before the blue man-child Hyde shrieked- "Everything!"

The sparking blue yeti pushed Hyde aside to explain to the disappointed gorgon.

"Was no fuss. Baby in and out in blink." The drooping snakes Abbey saw pulled at her pity-strings. "News that is good is Holt recorded all of happenings while you were out hooping and hollering on the tv show."

Holt pulled up his iCoffin 16, while striking a rock-star pose. It was times like these people could see the neck tattoo Hyde got; Jackson's colleagues accepted tattoos but Jackson still didn't fully accept Hyde.

"Can I get a copy of that?" The tabby asked as he poked around Deuce to watch the video. It more of Heath in it than the Gorgon braced himself for.

"Today is the most magical moment of my unlife." Heath said in real life as the video ended. "The way she snuggled up to my chest when I held her was the most magnificent feeling. Better than sex. No offense, hotstuff."

The yeti shurgged. To ease his jealousy, Deuce reminded himself that Heath and Abbey were incapable of conceiving children together. They were working on the adoption route, but first they had to clean up their records. Also he reminded himself that his daughter had cold-blood so feeling the warmth of the fire-element was good for her.

Abbey got on her phone to tell the other ghouls the good news. Holt Hyde sat in a waiting room chair, eating rascaryberry yogurt and laughing about it for some unknown reason.

"How's the Mummy?" Deuce asked the starry-eyed Heath as they walked towards the window to view the monstrous children.

"She's the most beautiful, purest, wonderfulest ghoul on the planet; of course she's awesome." Heath told the new father.

"That's great but I intended that question towards Cleo." The Gorgon said as he looked for his baby in the sea of faces behind the maternity window.

Ghoulia moaned, translating to 'She's fine. And she has yet to hold the baby either'. The information cheered Deuce up a bit; it was one parental thing he'd get to do and before Cleo.

Garfield the camera-cat held his camera up again. "Great, I can interview her before the big moment- set it up catch her expression as the little reptile is brought in and-"

"For your own safety, don't go in miss De Nile's room until she says it's okay. She's taking this time right now to fix her makeup." Ghoulia continued to moan. deuce later explained as he left the show mid-way, they sent a camera-dude with him because they thought the baby-drama was good for ratings.

In Cleo's hospital room

The mummy princess was puckering her bright red lips. It was the last step to the face painting. The monster used her 8x11 inch size compact-mirror to check around the edges.

"Nice." She heard her baby-daddy say as he walked into the room.

"First time ever that she sees me, I want to make a good first impression." Cleo told him, her heart swelled at the small, round bundle in his arms. The child was wrapped in gold linens like she was. Though unlike her mummy, the child was not scheduled to be mummified until after she hit puberty. That was years from then. At the moment the bundle was tiny and precious and hissing because she missed her mummy's warmth.

"Oh my Ra, give her! Give her! Give her!" Cleo giddily commanded with open arms.

The Gorgon placed the bundle in encircled arms then sat on the side of her bed. The child was quiet, with the exception of a few hisses from the three tiny snakes curled on her head.

She had her mother's nose, cheek-structure, full lips and, under the small purple sunglasses, small pink diamond-shaped birthmark under her right eye. There was also a shining confidence, along with quiet curiousity, coming from the little monster.

For the first time ever, Cleo De Nile considered she wasn't the center of the universe.

"Ooh, my sweet little Cleo…" Cleo said as she felt the baby snake tongue tickle her finger.

"Yeah no, Cleo the Second is the title to a bad sequel. She deserves to start her own legacy." Deuce told his baby-mama.

"You also shot down naming her after my mother-"

"We're not naming her anything I can't pronounce, or sounds like a disease."

Cleo pouted because he was being difficult. But she was in a very frothy mood so she said, "We have a week to decide, then Sebou and whatever other weird thing your family has planned."

"Deal. Until then let's just look at how cute and perfect she is." Deuce suggested as he put a hand on Cleo's back and stared at his daughter.

Their unnamed baby wiggled her forked tongue at them. They both went 'aww'.

"That's fine by me." The mummy said, she thanked Ra her gorgeous baby was worth getting fat for.

A tiny part of her was still resentful that Lagoona was going to have two guppies but never got fat. Gil didn't take it was well but at least he had a wife willing to put up with his extra whiney months of mpreg.


	4. Cali's diary

Be stone, or get stoned; those are your options if you were reading a private diary instead of my web-cast.

\------Jan 12

Sometimes I wake up in the morning, look in a mirror and think 'I'm chopping it all off!' My hair can go two ways; alluring or gross. When it's gross is when my scaly little friends are grumpy and don't want to stay in place. I don't tell this to many people, but I have names for my snakes; Urania, Thalia, Terpi, Poly, Hymnia, Eurey, Freddie, Mercury, Erato, Strabo, May, Deacon and Jeff. There are days when Freddie and Mercury fight and that gets them all excited which leads to an afro. I have nothing against afros but I prefer any other hairstyle for myself. The perfect average hair day is when they're wavy and chill.

Dad says to get them chill I have to apply lotion (constantly) and be around good music (I am, frequently). Though it's easy for him to say, cause he only has a few left and they just nap on his head. But Dad is chiller than me; chiller than every other monster on earth. I don't get how my cool, sweet Dad and hyperactive, hypersensitve Mom got together; it's like eye-scream marrying kosahir. It works because they barely see each other. Mom is married to her job as a CEQ (Corporate Executive Queen). Dad is, of course, cool with it and being the trophy-husband. He's happy and busy as the stew chef at his restaurant so I guess neither have time to miss each other. And neither have time to bug me (:

I have to remember I have to call Grandaddy's servants to set up the stage for tonight! I'm not premiering for anything, just making another killer video. Mom may be queen of the Toy biz, and the entire world in her mind, but I am the Queen of Frighttube. Okay, that doesn't sound as cool as it is, but the title is my crown and sceptor.

Note to self: Call Abe about jacket, Call Lala about shoes and dance practice and DEFINITELY call Auntie Viperine about makeup. Even if we only talk through voice-mail, she always sends great tutorials.

(later that night)

I was great, my friends were great, the fan-reivews and flying in and I'm having a hard time sleeping cause my snakes are twisting like my fire-up heart. That doesn't sound like sense but I can see it as song lyrics!

\------Jan 14

I am so lucky to have Abe as my beastie. That frog has been on the scene since we were crawling. Well, I was crawling, he was splashing in a giant glass bowl (his freshy-dad is so over-protective it's crazy). Any who, Abe is awesome! He's smart, clever (there is a difference),caring without being too sappy, most creatures think he's a softy, but they don't know how dark his humor can get. Like the time Meowrina Taur got a scary bad infected nose ring. Everyone else was worried about her suffocating. Abe whispered to me "At least the pus matches her eyes." He has nothing against our esteemed quarterback, my beast-friend just tries to find the positives in every situation. ^_^

Plus he has a great sense of fashion. He and Lala (the most bubbily vegan vampire around), our other beastie, adore mauls and magazine trends. I respect it, especially since the great Clawdeen Wolf is my auntie, but modern fashion is not my thing. I have an allowance that could buy an entire store but where's the fun in that? I like phantomly styles (pitch-blach, ripped with chains) and those are too old-ghoul to find in mauls. Luckily Lala knows pretty much everyone so we find pretty spooky places.

My friends are spooktacular, and before I become a full-fledge diva and roam the globe with nothing but my fame and adoring fans/stalkers I need these good memories. I don't want to solely depend on my past past for happiness(like my Auntie Neffy does), I just want to enjoy what I have right now.

As Abe directs, films, edits, critiques, adds sparkles, takes away smudges and solemnly avoids auto-toning my voice while Lala dances and cheers us on- I think I may keep them around.

\-------Jan 20

I had my worst nightmare last night! I was in an accident which lead to a pipe going through my throat. This would be the most terrifying thing ever because A) It would be an excuse for my Grandaddy to mummify me. I want to make Grandaddy proud but that sort of eternal commitment I am not ready for. Reason B would going through unlife not being able to sing.

Singing is the sweetest joy I know. It's like breathing for my soul. The power surging from me when I can hit a high C is a very divine feeling. Hearing the applause from an audience makes me feel like the best thing since 5-inch heels! I'm technically an Egyptian princess, according to Grandaddy, but that's just at his house. On the outside I'm just a regular ultra-talented, Interweb-famous, stunningly beautiful ghoul with cool hair and deadly vision. But really, there are tons of monsters who have those things too.

(later that day)

I'm thinking of Jerri Wolf now. Gods, I can't stand that kid!!! He's so stupid and everyone think he's cute! He's not cute! He's immature and embarrassing for us teens trying to show off our grace in high school. I can look good around him but I'd rather not be around him!

Today I was fanging out in the library (Biteology= so boring but have to keep up) and he came down and sat on my table. I was with Abe and since he didn't mind I tried not to make a big deal out of it. But Jerri just kept saying how boring studying was and how much he didn't like books. We were in a library (!), a place I really didn't want to hear him especially when I needed to study! Abe didn't laugh with thim but did offer fodder to make Jerri think (HA!). Abe can be nice, but I know he's also crafty so I'm wondering what would Jerri have to offer him. I was about to lift my sunglasses to stone the annoying furball when Leslie Vermin came in. Leslie's family has a motorbike collection, and she's a nice ghoul, so I've tried to stay friendly with her. Listening to her and Jerri mock titles of books took away my desire for sincere friendship but I still wanted a go on the motorbikes. So I laughed along with them, then excused myself from the table. Abe didn't hesitate to join me but I did notice he was staring at Leslie like he was mad at her.

Hera, Ra, ecetra, why does Jerri have to be around me! Pfft, if Abe heard this he would say "Because you kissed him at the Spirits' Rally and now he's in like with you." Yeah, I did, because he is actually a good baseball player and I thought a jock would make a fun boyfriend. I. Was. Wrong!!!! It was like hanging out with a dumb little kid! He didn't know how to talk conherently and what a big smile he had! ICK!

Before I thought my worst date was a gargoyle named Brooklyn. He was a king-sized skullmate dude (I thought) had nice manners. I soon found out he was weirdly backwards cause he kept saying he wanted to protect me from, like, everything. Some ghouls would say that was sweet, but smart ghouls would call that crazy. I couldn't stone-and-ditch him so it led to a nasty break-up scene in my recording studio (which is a made-over-guestroom at my house). He broke my condenser microphone and rumors lasted two months.

That drama was bad, I'm just happy it never reached my family. Though I can't lie, I liked the experience because it showed me how to handle a crazy dude when my vision couldn't help me. Dad told me to use my powers wisely because getting too dependant on them would make them an easy target if I ever got in a fight with a scarier monster. It's good advice but I can't always follow it, and according to my Uncle Heath when Dad was my age he used his vision regularly for little annoyances. My reasoning is some monsters just need to chill out and think about their actions- maybe question why I stoned them in the first place.

Brooklyn was a rocky nutjob. Jerri is just a flea. I avoid going full DeNile on boys because they wouldn't survive if I did. And despite being a descedant of the gods, I can't make such calls.

Yet.

\---------Feb 2nd

Lala once said nothing happens only once. I hope she's wrong because I cannot live throught another day this this ever again. I just lived through the fall of an empire!

Cleo's empire, or more realistically, her toy company empire gave her the thumbs down today! My mummy was FIRED!!!! From her job as CEQ! I wouldn't believe it any other say but I accept it cause I just barely got out of the chaos!!!!

Surprisingly my mother didn't take being fired very well. In fact, her reaction led to an arrest, then assult, then hospitalization (for the security guards and her wrist) and all on video! It's become a FrightTube hit! I am flabbgerghasted (a word I never thought I'd use before)! I don't know how to feel for mom and I am a little ashamed to admit jealous that her video got more hits in a day than mine do in months. Yes, I'm crazy and borderlining evil but if you saw Cleo's video you'd understand why!

Before I even saw it I was swarmed at school by cruel, laughing classmates and then reporters. I know Haters Gonna Hate, but it was my first BIG negative swarm! The Brooklyn thing was stupid high school stuff, this was international coverage! Epically bad publicity!

I had to call Grandaddy for a royal escort out of school. Abe and Lala were super security guards, and Headmistress Stripes helped too. I later found out Dad stoned like forty reporters outside his resturant. When I was at Grandaddy's, Aunt Neffy was happier/meaner than usual. I stoned her, something I was forbidden to do to fmaily memebers, but because it's Nefera I didn't get a long lecture.

The scariest part was how Grandaddy reacted to this mess. Mom asked for a sarcophagus to hide in, which is her thing so cool BUT then Grandaddy suggested I should get one too! I love my Grandaddy very much because he spoils me with kind attention and big, expensive gift but he can be a bit .... diffcult when he doesn't see things going his way. I was alone with him at the time so it was very possible he was serious!!!! I called Dad, he wouldn't answer! I knew my aunts and uncles were probably busy being a support group for Cleo so I couldn't call any of them! I called Abe- he called Lala- Lala called Cleo. I am a little annoyed with Lala.

I'm not sure if Cleo wrapping herself together and then going up to Grandad's face herself was the reason I'm not wrapped up right now. It probably is, but I really don't know.

What I do is this; Cleo isn't the Toy Empress anymore. And if she isn't at work she doesn't know what to do with herself. And if her company really hates her now, what does that mean for Dad? Most of his regulars are from connections with Mom's company. And what about me?! I'm not the Queen of Frighttube anymore- I'm the little-look-alike of the Suit-Psycho (Mom's most common title online).

So, yeah, that was my day. Me, Cleo, Dad and Bruno (our pet dragon) checked into an underwater hotel later that very night. It's at the bottom of the Parastic Ocean and the only guests that are million years old are allowed. The design reminds of a lot of Lagoona, Abe's mom and my 2nd mommy. Though only if the salty laywer was interested in ballgowns and beehive hairdos.

Right now me and Bruno are in our own room. We are connected to Mom& Dad's room but they're having a 'grown-up talk' to figure out what the styx is this family going to do now? If it were up to Dad, we'd send muffins to everyone involved and let by-gones be by-gones. Daddy is a very gentle and naive man. If it's up to Mom, the monsters involved will either get posioned muffins or she'll bury us all until the next millieum.

It's annoying that no one is asking me how I feel about this. I guess they know better because I don't have a clue what to do. I'm very use to not getting interference from my parents. We exchanges hugs on holidays but normal days I check in with them on Skullype in the afternoons and then zero contact.

Our beautiful arragement is dead and sleeping with the fishes!

\-------Feb 3rd

I'm having a vaction I didn't ask for. If it were a normal day I'd be at Abe's, it smells the same as this hotel but it's less cozy. It's very expensive and pretty but I'm alone with my parents. Grr.

Actually, I'm alone with Bruno and Dad which isn't the worst really. Dad and I had a nice fang-out day; we went to the gym, then ate thick deserts, saw a movie then played old video games. Being with my Dad is like being with a cool big brother. I still have to be careful not to tell him too much (I don't want him to worry), but his jokes are natural and his kind nature is very relaxing.

Bruno is less happy. He flys back and forth the hotel halls but it's a narrow line which drives him batty. Poor over-grown lizard.

Though with out a doubt the saddest memeber of this vacation is Cleo. She hasn't left her room and I don't know if she ever will. I mean, she spent 6 thousand years sleeping so who knows if this isn't another long nap? I know she's depressed. I don't know what to say though. Dad said they didn't talk much (mostly he just listened to her theories of why the company fired her). He knows how to get through to her so if he says to let her sulk alone I'm going to listen to him. But I enjoy listening to his little rants about the food quailty more. Deuce knows food and hearing he get snooty about it is pretty hilarious.

\-----Feb 5th

Nothing new to report. Still underwater. I have kept in contact with Abe, Lala and my kind, loving, wonderful fans through my laptop. They remind me I still have a life outside this hotel room. Being here reminds me of a story I read once about a ghoul locked with ugly chartreuse wall-paper.

I have to keep reminding myself I'm not the mad ghoul. Cleo De-Throned is and if I'm what's next in our lineage I have to keep my snakes up!

(Two Hours Later)

My snakes need freshair. I may leave my family behind if I learn how to grow gils before I'm sixteen.

\-------Feb 6th

Well, I finally jumped in my own grave. I had been digging it for years but today I finally jumped it. Damn it, I had so much else to live for!

Dad was getting submarine-fever and went to the hotel kitchen. To either he make new friends or to serve the cook as sanwiches to the otherhotel guests ( I have yet to find out which).

I put on my bathing suit and planned on visiting the hot-tub. It was near the spa, the kind of girly-ghoul thing Cleo liked, so I figured I'd invite her to go with me. I knocked on her door and she didn't answer. If this was last week I wouldn't care but I didn't want a Mummy in a tomb! I wanted her awake and screaming! So I broke the hotel lock (idols from Grandaddy are so fun) and walked into her room.

And there was my Mummy. Her body laid ontop of the bedsheets. One hand, wrapped in fine linen and jewels, hung over the side. Under the hand was a spilled pill-bottle.

This made sense to me, Mom didn't see she had much to do in this unlife so she went to the other. I thought Egyptian magic protected her from this sort of thing but I didn't know all the details. But either way, I thought at least I could leave the hotel then.

I casualy took out my iCoffin, I was ready to call my dad and say ''We can go home now!"

Instead I said, "Cleo, you were such a drama queen. The most obnoxious, self-absorbed monster on this planet and it did bother me that you never went to my preformance of Goreathy! I chose that part for you, you heartless moldy-oldie !"

I could've been madder and meaner to her, but the Gorgon part of me seeped in and I got sappy.

"Of all the divas and mothers I can count on, you were regale DeNile that I wanted to be like most of all."

After I said that, Cleo rose her head. She hadn't tried to die, she was just theatrically trying to get attention (as she dropped her asiprin bottle). On her pretty, pretty face were tears of joy. It was so humliating. I tried to take everything I said back but she jumped up and hugged- scratch that- squeezed me! Really tight! I tried explaining I was ready to leave her for dead but all I heard her sing was,

"My baby loves me, my baby loves me, my baby loves me~" in a really annoying, high tone, like she was just waiting to hear me say it. Dear Gods! She'll never let me live this down.

Dad did come back to the room eventually. By the time he did, Cleo had tied my snakes into braids and made me watch a maraton of the old version of America's Next Top Monster. The conversations were all about her, but when we did a duet of the song 'Off With Their Heads', I think I might've actually enjoyed myself.

Now I know better; I know Cleo can take or leave me, however her mood sets. Dad told me not to take it personal because it's all the affection Mom is capable of showing. Long ago Grandpa Ramses was a strict father before becoming my loving (if not snoby/encentric) Grandaddy. I am torn about how to feel. I love my Mummy a lot but I don't trust her fully. I can depend on her to raise an army and kill for me, but I can't depend on her to listen or act like a normal, non-explosvie monster. It's complicated because I love her ability to cut throats and I want to learn for myself but I don't want to fufill the prophecy she's been joking about since forever. The prophecy that I will become better than her at everything only by offing her myself. She giggles as she tells me this and, "By my daughter's blade is the only respectable way I can accept dying."

She's very sick, and soooo vain. My mummy is very pretty but Gods is she consumed by that fact! And Dear Hera, Ra, Zeus, Geb and everybody else up there! (!) what am I going to do with her now?

\-----Feb 8th

The return to Monster High was a jump in a hot-tub made of a glacider. How to explain? I got warm welcomes from my (real) friends, my other friends (followers) and no mentionings from any teachers! Abe gave me home-made sushi and Lala gave me a bra made from an Iron Lady. They are were too sweet! And Jerri gave me a jar of marbles since he heard my mom lost hers. I know deep down he though he was trying to be cute and nice, and I somewhat appreicate that, but I stoned him anyway. It felt good.

The less good parts were Sprectra Vondergheist floating in my ears for info on my parents. I said 'no comment' and Abe sprayed her with a tiny watergun. It went through her but the act gave her something new to rattle about. There were snickers, of course, but I recieved enough adivce on how to handle that;

from Operetta, my old singing teacher; If you try to hush up everyone who talks bad about you, you'll run out of energy faster than the rumors can run. (I miss that old purple goat)

from Grandaddy; History is written by winners and as a DeNile I was born a winner, so in a passive-long run I'm good.

from Lagoona; Rumors are storms and there's no point in swimming through them, or something like that....love her, but she speaks in fishy-lawyer talk all the time.

from Dad; Go 'Whatever' (I wonder how pretty the sky is in his world).

and from my Mummy Dearest; You're still in the spotlight, handle it like a DeNile; grace, charm and undeniable superority over all others.

With all the advice in mind, I also remembered how most artists get famous after their 2nd deaths. This was serious as death, but I still walked through the halls like the monsters were the Red Sea. Plus, the media coverage got me the attention of a few new agencies to book! The cool thing about already being rich is I don't have to worry about competting money offers to interfer with decesions. I choose by word-of-mouth, what's hot or is begging hard enough to get hot. As I lived through the Mama-Drama I remembered stuff about myself; I'm a frozen sun! Hot and very cool and for better, or maybe worst, nothing can really touch me.

Except love.


	5. The Fight

In Monster High

A crowd of thirty students circled the fight in the halls. Talons, claws and wings in the air cheering for the winner of this playground-size battle. The school quarterback, Meowrina Taur, got in to break it up. With a bull’s strength, she pushed both monsters into the arms of her teammates.

Between a six-foot vampire and hefty bone-element Cali De-Nile-Gorgon screamed, “I hate you, Jericho Wolf!!”

As he was dragged by a hooded figure and his cousin, Usagi, Jerri Wolf yelled, “And I really don’t know why!”

The crowd silenced, Cali looked through her good eye to see that Headmistress Stripe had walked onto the scene. “Nurse’s office first. Then my office.”

Choke on a hairball, Stripes! Cali thought. She angrily pushed aside the football teammates and put a hand to her bad eye. Her other hand held a half of the broken sunglasses as to cover her magical vision. While stomping out she saw Abe staring in the crowd. She turned away from his bright green eyes because she didn’t want to see who he was really watching just then.

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In the nurse’s office

The nurse’s tentacle was gently applying salve to Cali’s eye. Her good eye was covered with a transparent eye-patch. As the nicely horned nurse did this, Cali applied anti-bacteria anointment to her snakes’ bitemarks. She knew they wouldn’t change into tiny werewolves but she didn’t like their sad whimpering hisses. Their pain gave the young ghoul a headache.  
The headache got worse when she heard her Mummy’s screaming.

Cali saw her father’s chef-white shirt open the nurse’s door. She sighed as her mother stormed in.   
“Toralei is going to be fired for this! Grilled and charred on a barbeque! How dare she allow this to happen to my princess baby!” Cleo DeNile screamed.

She went quiet as she saw Cali’s right scratched right eye. Instead of blood around the torn skin there was stone. Cleo felt excruciating sympathy-pain.

“Oh my beautiful baby.” The Mummy said as she pushed the nurse to the side. Deuce walked to Cali’s right side to examine the eye.

“It’s not that deep but you’ll definitely need surgery to remove the granite.” The adult Gorgon said as his green snakes slithered to rub against his daughter’s black snakes.

Cleo texted on her phone then tugged at Cali’s chin. “I made an appointment with Auntie Ghoulia already; she’ll work to prevent any scarring.”

“I dunno, scars from a werewolf are kind of neat, Mom.” Cali said to slightly tease her mother’s urgent efforts.

“You took on a werewolf dude?” Cali could hear her anxiety and smugness in her father’s tone. 

Her mother was furiously unamused. “Where is the mutt that did this?”

The family was interrupted by an angry growl from Howlbert Wolf.   
“Got something to say, Gorgon?”

Clawdeen’s younger brother, Howlbert was seven feet tall and burning hot as the other concerned parents.

“It’s DeNile-Gorgon, right now all DeNile which means I am going to see to it that your pup thrown in a pound before the night is up!”

“You have some nerve. Your rotten little brat put a curse on my boy then broke his throwing wrist! You’re lucky she’s even-”

Cleo held up an index finger. “Don’t you dare try finishing that sentence, furball!”

“Who teaches a child to put curses on other kids!” The werewolf yelled down at the Mummy.

“What kind of Wolf-man teaches his son to scratch the faces of little ghouls!” The Mummy yelled back at the monster who was three feet taller than her. “Your sister would never-”

“My sister isn’t here! Your little ghoul is going to be expelled from this school!”

“You and what army!”

“The army of my teeth in your-” Mr.Wolf did not finish that statement as he was turned to stone in the middle of his sentence.

Deuce returned his sunglasses back to his face before he stood straight and walked up to his wife. Cleo recognized the ‘we-need-to-talk-away-from-the-kid’ look and walked outside of the room. 

“We are not making this worse for Cali.” The little Gorgon heard her father say. Cali chewed on her nails as her mother defended her actions in hushed tones.

A werewolf with honey-colored fur and a home-sewn purse stepped into the nurse’s office. Behind the curtain was her son, Jerri. She licked his nose and then saw her husband’s stone body.

“Was Dad was being loud again?” The mother wolf asked as she fidgeted with her beaded bracelet.

“I didn’t notice.” Jerri said cheerfully. He sat on the other nurse’s bed with his leg behind his head.

I guess everyone’s parents’ are ridiculously overbearing, Cali thought though she refused to share pity with the dumb jock. He got what he deserved for being a stupid, heartless punk, Cali’s thoughts had her serpents curled into an afro.

Cleo and Deuce quietly returned into the office and faced the Wolf family.

“I apologize that my hubby stoned your husband and I will remove the curse my daughter put on your son.” The Mummy said in an apathetic manner. 

“Jerri is sorry he brought on your daughter’s attack.” The blonde werewolf said, “Jericho, please tell them what kind of curse was it.”

“Cali said she put the ‘Pharaoh’s curse’ on me, since then I haven’t eaten or slept and I miss doing those things.” The wolf with spikey hair told Cali’s parents. He sounded scared and tired though not exactly resentful towards his ‘foe’.

Cali smirked and heard her mother cough a laugh.

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“What a dolt. I wave my lipstick at him, say ‘curse be gone’ and he believes me.” Cleo said as she family drove to the hospital.

“It’s cause of you that legend such a big deal, babe.” Deuce said as he looked at Cali in the rearview mirror.

“I’m glad to see it still scares.” Cleo said happily.

“That kid was a sucker but did he really deserve to get played and burned? Cali? Hello?”

Though her iCoffin was buzzing with message, the little gorgon was looking out the window. The eye was wrapped with linen around her head.  
“Huh, oh, yes Dad he did.”

“Reason enough for me.” The woman with thick eye-linear and shining gold jewelry said.

“Kid, it’s cool to know you can take on a dude way stronger than you but why did this all go down?” Deuce asked.

Her father’s snakes stared at her over his seat. “I don’t want to bore you guys with high school drama.”

“No please do.” Cleo asked while checking the car mirror. It bugged Cali when her mother said she was listening but was clearly attending something else. 

The silver-wearing ghoul knew her dad would listen. “Okay, long story short I was avenging Abe.”

G6R5E4W3S5DERTVBUJY7T6R5E43S4ETCVGBHUJY7RE45DERCVGBHUY7T6R56DRFTVBHUJYTDRCFGVHY7T6FTVHUY7T67RFTYGHUY78

In the Blue home

Abraham Blue was in his room editing files on his computer. His iCoffin was bubbling overboard with new messages; he ignored it. The song in his background was sung by a sad Operetta. The lyrics were about getting over heartache while insulting who had done wrong. In the fishy boy’s mind, this song fit two monsters in his life. 

He heard a knock at his door. Only one monster bothered to do that for him.

“It’s open, mum.” He said as swirled around in his chair. A sea creature came in with a messy bun and a clean sky-colored face. She looked like a business-mom at the end of the day does.

“Hey, I’m making Cali a get-well lunch. Wanna help?” Lagoona asked.

Abe’s webbed fingers drummed on his crossed knees. “I’ll help later, mum.”

“Something in your net, mate?” Lagoona asked as she leaned in the doorframe. “Like does it have any connection to how Cali hasn’t been lazying around here for a week?”

The low-sodium water-creature leaned to his side to hide his laptop. He was hiding the evidence of previously deleting photos

“I’m taking a break from her, focusing on my other friends.” Abe was telling a half-truth to his mother.

The environmental lawyer knew when a monster was selling bad roe. “That have anything to do with her getting in a fight today?”

“I didn’t ask her to curse Jericho Wolf.” Abe aggrievedly said. “We had a misunderstanding and she thought she had to be the tough ghoul to stand up for me. It was totally unnecessary but she think I’m a jellyfish!”

And she’d wouldn’t wait to ask you if you needed help, she’d just help how she knows how, Lagoona thought. “Being gentle and passive doesn’t make you weak, mate. It makes you better than the average monster. You know Cali really admires that about you.”

“She just has to make everything about her.” Abe said, though he felt a little shame about being sour.

“You’re her beast friend. Cali felt she had to stand up for you. Especially if she knew someone hurt your heart.”

“I’ll handle that myself.” Abe put his green eyes towards his DSLR shoulder mountain (the camera was on a mountain of cables). “It’ll be less dynastic than Cali but subtle and dignified is just my version of style.”

Despite the wardrobe he’s such a brain, Lagoona thought, “I know it will. You know I did like that fire-breathing bloke you brought to dinner two weeks ago. Still talk to him?”

The charming lad left Abe’s attention around the time his little meltdown all started. “I should talk to the other guy first.” Abe said.

“Then your beastfriend?” Lagoona asked, this is the longest they haven’t talked since the buried alive incident.

Abe sighed then nodded. He considered telling his mother why it all happened in the first place but before he started they were interrupted with-

“MOM! I found a catfish! Can we keep it!?” Shouted the six-year-old water creature carrying a large, dead goose-fish in his arms.

“Moby, what did I say about the difference between amphibians and fishes?” Lagoona asked as she pulled the pitiful departed from her youngest son’s chubby arms. Abe got up from his seat to explain to his brother why catfish were boring freshwater pets.

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In Monster High

There were few things that bothered Jerri Wolf. There were hundred more that made him happy. The pup had an easy life and didn’t see what kept other monsters from smiling. He was good for a laugh, but not so hot for deep conversations.

Abe liked him because he was friendly to all and very active. The wolf was also quite good looking and didn’t seem to have a ghoulfriend. The blonde-haired monster thought warm fur against slippery cool aquatic skin would be romantically contrary.

In the present, Abe found all his romantic ideas to be ridiculous. He thought talking to Jerri about this would be awkward and embarrassing. 

The popular pup was talking to a trio of fearleaders when Abe approached him.   
Jerri wouldn’t recognize the Furberry petticoat jacket Abe wore. Abe recognized the damage his friend bestowed upon Jerri in his (Abe’s) honor.

The amber-eyed monster held up his arm brace. “I haven’t had one of these since I broke my other arm during motorbike practice. It’s neat how they get all the little velcro and slips on it.”

“Yeah, that is delightful. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Abe asked Jerri, then stared at the ghouls to leave.

The trio respected Abe’s cute haircut and nice shoes. They hopped away, tails and wings flopping behind them.

Jerri looked at Abe without a single glimmer of malice. “Sup, brah.”

His casualness Abe found refreshing but misplaced in the moment. “I never asked her to do so, but Cali put the curse on you for me.”

“Woof to that.” Jerri was astonished. “I guess that’d make sense if you were mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you. Well, not mad so much as disappointed because... We were spending time together, you were really nice to me, I was nice to you and I thought we were…we could’ve been more.”

A spark of light went off in Jerri. “Oh. Brah, I wasn’t about making you think that. I mean, you’re a cool brah, a really smart brah, a brah I think should go out for like swim team or something but I don’t chase that kind of car.”

“Yeah, I got that message across when we were getting eye-scream.” The low-sodium monster said, his hands made fists in his pockets.

“What’d I do?” Jerri asked, clueless to who he offended though he remembered being at the eye-scream shop with Abe& friends.

The memory hurt but Abe recited it anyway. “You offered to pay for Cali first and then asked about Lala and me.”

“Oh yeah. She told me to jump off a cliff.” Jerri laughed then realized where he went wrong. “I am really, really sorry, brah. That kind of stuff just runs past me, ya know? With ghouls too!”

“Cali made it clear she doesn’t like you- before the cursing bit. So why do you….” Abe fluttered his gils. “Why do you like getting in her turf.”

“I don’t know. She acts mean all the time but she’s not really. She’s trying to be funny, and I just like that.”

She isn’t even trying to be ironic, she just thinks lowly of you because you’re a pretty airhead and because she’s jealous of how popular you are. She works hard for her attention and you just soak it in, Abe thought these things but said to Jerri-

“It’s not cool to be oblivious of everything all the time, Jerri.” Abe admitted. “It hits like a different kind of mean that isn’t funny. Like at all.”

The pointy ear dropped. “I’m sorry. For everything, alright? I really am sorry to mess with you like that.”

Don’t forgive him cause he’s cute, forgive him cause he’s a berk…and because he means it. “Apology accepted but just work on it, okay?”

The head nod was sincere in Abe’s eyes. Unclenching his hands, the finned-boy took one out to shake Jerri’s. The wolf-boy took the hand then pulled Abe to his chest.

“You are a really hot brah, brah. That’s cool to say between bros, right?” The wolf asked as Abe adjusted his coat and hair.

“Sure.” Abe said in a breathy tone. He then saw a tennis ball bounce down the hall. He watched Jerri go on all fours faster than a marlin.

It annoyed Abe how he still found the doofus to be cute. He dropped his formalness when he saw Lala and their mutual beastfriend walk up to him.

“Was it bad? Did you die inside? Do we need to ditch class to get you pick-me-up shoes?” The short vampire asked as she hugged Abe.

“I’m fine. We talked it out like guys do.” The boy said told his friends.

“Can we try that?” The slinky ghoul asked as she approached Abe.

“You can start.” The freckled monster told her.

“I know you can go all tsunami on a dude if you wanted to, but seeing as you’re way too good for that I had to step in and step on that flea-bag cause you’re my blood and I’d rather he rip out both my eyes than watch that sad face you had!” Cali said, non-stop throughout the speech.

“You have the lung capacity of a sea-creature.” Abe said as he held out his elbow.

Cali smiled and locked on the right side and Lala locked on the left.

“So we’re all gummi worms and chocolate-spiders again?” The pink vamp asked. “You know I hate picking sides.”

Cali’s bad eye was padded with gauze under her wide, round sunglasses. She looked around at her friend to ask, “So you avoided both of us?”

“No she texted me a million things all this week.” Abe told her, feeling better with her hissing snakes in his ear.

“Me too, actually, I just didn’t want you to be out the loop.” Cali explained as gently tickled his gils. “You know you’re the pearl of us, right?”

“Is your big mouth the oyster?” Abe playfully asked.

The teasing gave Cali a similar joy that rivaled watching lethal boob-traps go off. “No, I’m the hard shell that breaks her nails to protect you two. Lala’s the mouth with fangs.”

From around the low-sodium beastie, Lala blew her scaly bestie a kiss.


	6. The BF

In the vintage mp3 catalogue store monsters heard the screaming glee of a vampire.

Four feet tall, on five-inch-heels, Lala playfully grabbed her friend’s jacket as he revealed a secret. “Oh my Ghoul! Mel Chin-Long? He’s totes bitable!”

“Fangs to yourself, Lala.” Abe said though he was honored to have reached her standards in boyfriend picking.

His other beastfriend was being quiet, showing she was less than thrilled about the news. “When do we get to meet this dreamboat of yours?”

That’s the grilling voice Abe thought, he told her, “You’ve already met him.”

“Now that he’s whispering sweet nothings in your ear he needs to be re-evaluated.” Cali faced a screen asking for her preference in music. She typed words she liked at the moment and the program searched for a match.  
The store began playing an R&B tune titled ‘Eat him Alive’. Abe planted a pucker her cheek, he knew she meant well in her intentions.

The Harpy-Centaur-Kitsune sushi bar

Mel Chin-Long was caring without being sappy, smart enough not to be arrogant and dressed like he was trying to pull off not caring with jackets bought from Boo York. Abe liked him and after an hour long questionnaire, Cali and Lala found reasons to like him as well.

The ghouls watched the boyfriends snicker at one another. They didn’t need to whisper but it was the polite thing to do when talking about someone in close range.

“Gods damn it, he’s great.” Cali stated burntly.

“Our Abe couldn’t have picked better.” Lala said as she eyed the shaved part of his head which had a flame carved in the hairline.

Mel’s bright red eyes caught their attention. “Did I pass the expectation?”

Lala puts a hand to her lips and giggles while Cali crosses her arms in a shrug.

“Flying colors.” Abe says into his boyfriend’s six-pierced ear.

Seeing her closest friend since hatching happy made Cali happy. What would’ve made her happier would’ve been seeing Mel in the background carrying their bags.

The snake-haired ghoul finished her sour drink and loudly set the glass down tto grab the boys’ attention. “Mel, this has been fun but Abe and us have stuff to do-”

“Cali, I added sepia to the ‘Baby Don’t be Fron’in’ already.” The low-sodium water creature told the ready-to-leave ghoul.

Was that a brush off? Already? “And you think that’s all it needs?” As she asked, the longest snakes rose from around her elbows to around her shoulders.

“Re-evaluate it all night if you want. Mel and I are going to an art show.” Abe’s light blue hand entangled Mel’s shimmering gold hand.

The Egyptian princess protested the group’s breakup,“Oh? Well, we could change and- ouch!” 

The vegan-vamp pinched a snake down, disorientating Cali’s mind.

“Have fun, love-bats.” She said in a sugar-sweet tone

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The Maul 

Cali angrily hits replay on her iCoffin pro. She and Lala were trying on sunglasses to match their new BeFrazzled necklaces.

“What happened to ‘sisters before misters’?” The ghoul said as she looked in her reflection; the sunglasses were too transparent. She took them off.

“Abe needs alone with his new sweetie, let’s let him have a little fun with the green-tipped hot-spot.” Lala said before becoming distracted by the curled tip shades.

Lala was a ditz but she also had insight to other monsters’ feelings. Cali admitted she wasn’t spectacular at seeing more than monsters’ negatives attributes. She blamed her mother for passing on the condescension of being better than all other monsters- true or not.

Stay positive, that’s something she wouldn’t do, Cali asked “I put a nice dent in my allowance. You want to go back to your house and take snapshots of our new stuff for Instagore?”

Lala was tipping her bag-carrier when she responded with, “Fabulous idea but I have a meeting at VegansR’us. Want to do it after?”

“I don’t really want to wait around for it, Instagore is more of a in the moment thing.”Abe and I usually take up the afternoon picking out the best moments.

At the Restaurant

Rudi the co-owner and Sauce Chef was running things while his Sous chef was gone. He discovered one Gorgon was replaced with a smaller one.

“Where’s my order for the Nosfearatoot table?” Cali asked as she walked into the kitchen dressed like a waitress. Her snakes were pulled into a bun, a few heads curled around the chopsticks.

“Calliope why are you make-believing to be a waitress?” The rat monster asked the child he wished he didn’t know.

“I came to see Dad but Tsunami said he went out for something.” Cali tasted a stew being made by a centipede monster. “Too much salt, Heiter.”

Heiter chirped then searched for oil to thicken the flavor.

“This is a place for grown-ups.” Rudi said loudly from his stool spot.

The diva-in-training ignores him as she carried the dish out to the waiting table. The rat monster is annoyed when he answers a buzz on his phone. The other chefs hear threatening grumbles.

Cali walks back in, she sees Tsunami chopping leaks with five tentacles. The sixth one is in a cast; Cali walks up beside her to assist in chopping. Rudi covers the speaker with his hand as he tells her, “Your grandfather asks that you leave this kitchen immediately since the idea makes his bandages crawl off his bones.”

“How does he know I’m here?”

“His bandages are crawling. Shoo.” His blue-furry fingers pretend to be a broom in the emphasis.

Cali stabs the cutting board with the chopping knife. She listens to Rudi struggle to pull it out as she pulls her tote off.

At Monster High

In the classroom there are two groups looking across one another. This is during a practice debate.

Alynxia Jekyll doesn’t have a curl out of place when she rises to give her statement. “We find the defendant Guilty of all charges.”

“I object by the fault that there is Reasonable Doubt.” Cali says to the other side of the Screech& Debate team.

“There are no rebuffs at the end of my statements.” Alynxia says, adjusting her glasses to a fraction higher than they were a third of a minute ago.

“Your evidence is based on a shaky foundation which I can demonstrate in this flow chart provided by Oceret Jekyll.” Cali states then gestures to the werecat male beside her.

“Why?” Alynxia’s eyes coldly look at her brother.

The buckled-down werecat gives a chilled glance at his sister. “She knows how to present and be heard.”

Alynxia is unblemished by the attack. She counter attacks with better-researched resources and trumps her opponent team.

Cali slouches as she accepts the defeat. “I thought it all sounded so good.”

“You really did, didn’t you?” Oceret asks with a slight chuckle under his whiskers.

“What?”

“I’m just surprised you thought I’d let you win a case after simply stealing my seat five seconds after the debate started.”

“You set me up?”

“Like a domino.” Oceret was enjoying his bragging. He told himself to stop because discipline and self-control were traits his family strived to uphold.

“No kidding?” Cali put a hand on her hip.

“Should I pose for a petrification?”

“No, Ozzie, it’s what I’d do if I were you and me was the throne-snatcher.”

“Throne? Please. You over dramatize everything.” He slicks back his black fur. 

Cali rolls her eyes. She catches Abe waving to her in the audience section of desks. She waves back and sends a wave to Mel, but he misses it as he checks his iCoffin.

In the vampa-theatre

The Shriek club listens to their coach, Mr.Boo, give an ‘inspiring’ speech about theatre. Despite the pains and toils he went through in his short-lived career.

The class snoozes peacefully, except for one cinnamon-colored werewolf listening attentively as if her life depended on it.

Cali pushes a sleeping slug off the chair to sit next to Clawdette Wolf.

“Cali? The rehearsals for the autumn show aren’t for another month. Or are they? Am I wrong?”

“I’m here to try to join Shriek Club.”

Clawdette’s brows fret. “If you meant that I’d be very happy because it’d be fun to duet with someone who cares as much as I do but, well, take this the right way, you aren’t much of a people-monster.”

“I thought monsters liked me.”

“They do, I mean, I know plenty of monsters who like your videos, your look and think you’re funny but teams and clubs I don’t think are your….thing.”

“Is this because monsters think I don’t listen?”

“Maybe possibly.” Clawdette said as she flattened her summer skirt.

“Well, that is wrong and I can prove it.” The young soprano promised her furry friend.

“Ms. Wolf? Ms.Gorgon-DeNile?”

“Sir?” The two ghouls asked.

“Could you ladies please join us in the circle for warm up?”

The ghouls cross their legs as the instructor continues.

“Now then, who would like to choose a popular song for us to sing during the fundraiser for the headless?”

Clawdette raises her paw.“Mr.Boo, I think it would be beneficial to the group to sing something less contemporary-popular but still catchy and hair-raising for the show.”

“Such as?” Mr.Boo asks, trying his best to be an attentive haunted puppet.

“I was thinking ‘Digging in the Rain’.”

“Typical werewolf song.” A three armed-ghoul stated.

“That’s a little dated, Clawdette.” Says Mr.Boo, trying to beg others to put in requests..

“Yes however it’s uplifting and fun and something non-werewolves can enjoy.” Clawdette gives a toothy smile to the three-armed ghoul.

“It’s been centuries since I even heard that song, I don’t really think-“

“I say we try it.” Cali loudly says. “Clawdette, care to start it off?”

Clawdette waves to the taffy pink monster at the piano to start the song. Cali listens to her friend howl high-notes; she feels jealous and amazed at Clawdette. She feels superior by association when watching the other students stare dumbly the she-wolf’s talent.

Belting the last verse, Cali looks at the pearly canine teeth and wonders what brave dentist worked on that jaw last. The song ends; Cali applauds alone.

“She always has to show off.” A boy with ashy green and grey skin whispers behind Cali. Her tied back snakes hiss at him.

“That was nice, Clawdette.”

“Nice?” The werewolf’s shocked friend restates.

Clawdette smiles sweetly then sits next to Cali. Mr.Boo asks for more ideas and then allows a ghoul with moth-wings to sing ‘Hyperactive Space Remix 3’.

“When will he say we’re singing your song?” Cali asked, sizing up the tacky outfit the ghoul in front.

“He might not. I picked the song the last time.”

“Because you were a stone-cold fox up there who deserves a spotlight.”

“I know, he knows, and I get it when I howl my hardest but this is one of those days when it’s someone else’s turn.”

“That is not the way you build an army. We cut the weak links and take over the club overselves.”

“Cali, I don’t want to do that. I like to run with a pack, we build up one another.”

“Don’t worry, hun, I do this all the time.” Cali waits for Molitha to finish. As the ghoul bows, Cali raises a silver-ringed finger to say she has a song picked.

“New friends, I would like to dedicate this song to you. I choose to sing ‘Bow Down, Witches’. Clawdette, I’m certain you know the duet version.”

In the Creepateria

“Clawdette is making me a friendship bracelet since I promised to stay out of the Shriek Club. She uses these glass beads and carves lyrics with the tips of her claws. She is a ten-pound bag of sugar, that one!” Cali tells her beasties.

“She totes is. I let her borrow my triple-decked rhinestone stilettoes once and she returned them shinier than before!” Lala said.

“So this club hopping thing is for what exactly?” Abe asks.

“I’m trying to broaden my horizons, you know, give back to the people a little.” Cali says as she feeds her snakes bits of raisins,

“Riiight. Cali, do you remember when I tried to join the swimteam just to make my mum happy?”

“Yes and you were great, you would’ve been captain by now if you stayed in.”

“Sure, if you believe captain crowning isn’t a rigged election.” Abe’s hand pushes the issue aside. “Fin in break, I wasn’t happy being a face in the crowded pool. Look at what I’m wearing today.”

“You look spectacular and a little over-the-coast for a school day.”

“Thank you, I do this because it makes me happy to dress formally and stand out of crowds. I also have my unsinkable skills at editing our fintastic videos and am a natural blonde.”

“Ego-check, what’s the point?” The pig-tailed vampire asked.

“I’m don’t fit into clubs and neither do you so why are you bothering?”

Mel sits down next to Abe.

“I picked up an yogurt but forgot I hate the stuff. You want it?” the dragon boy asks his boyfriend.

“Thank you, Mel.” Abe says as he dips his spoon into the creamy treat.

Cali watches as Mel stares at her beast-friend.

“I’m trying out for track.”

Abe shakes his head.

“Good for you, it’ll look good on your resume.” Mel says as he pokes at a button on Abe’s shirt. “It’s hanging by a thread.”

“It’s supposed to look like this.”

“My aunt taught me how to sew, I could fix it.”

“You’re cute but you know nothing about fashion, mate.”

Mel laughs; Lala giggles and whispers to Cali, “They are just so cute!”

“Almost too cute.” Cali states before slurping her Jack-Jell-o-ten.

On the track field

Lala holds a parasol and Cali’s water bottle.

Her friend runs up next to her, snakes pulled back and sweaty brow. 

“I don’t have to talk to anyone, this tones my legs and practice ends as soon as Mel’s painting club starts. It’s perfect.”

In a second before removing her shades, she sees her elegant Victorian-themed friend grow suspicious. 

“Gasp! I thought we said we like Mel.”

“I do, I guess. He’s okay enough to be Abe’s boyfriend for the time.”

“Is this all because you’re not jelly over them?”

Cali scoffs. “Please, it’s not like I wanna be in lovey-dovey land like Abe. That nonsense makes me gag.”

“But you haven’t been with anyone since-”

“That loser rockhead? Please. Look at me, if I need a date for Groancoming I know a mile-long list to choose from.”

 

At the DeNile-Gorgon home

“Mel seems annoyed when I call him ‘mate’.” Abe says as Cali applies the curlers to his hair.

“Oversensitive lizard. Does he expect ‘honey-bunch’?” The princess asks.

“I don’t know. It’s not a petname so much as it is a verbal tic.”

Taking time to consider a wise answer, Cali said, “I say call him ‘smelly-tramp’ and see how that ends.”

Abe playfully tosses popcorn at her. “Why does it feel like million years since we did this?”

Cause you’ve been boy-crazy lately. “I don’t know what you mean, but close the tomb before you overthink and ruin Lazy Time.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Abe lays against his beastfriend as they play PlantsVersusZombiesVersusNormies on the MDS (Monster Drooling Station).


End file.
